All Our Firsts 08 - A Father's Love
by AkinaSky
Summary: Derek struggles with the relationship he has with Noah because he still misses his dad, even after all these years but there is nothing more important than celebrating the man on Father's Day. Sterek. Established relationship. part of the All Our First Series.


**A Father's Love**

 **Father's Day 2017**

 **All Our Firsts Series**

 **Author's Note: Thank you to the message about the text being out of whack. One of the reasons I tend to publish primarily on AO3, ugh... Enjoy.**

Derek knocked on the door to the Sheriff's office and waited for the older man's invitation and he gave it with a gruff, "Come in."

He stepped inside as the man was filling out some forms and he settled into the chair at the front of him with the small box in his hand, fidgeting because he didn't really plan this very well and he should have spoken to Stiles about this first but he couldn't help himself. He needed to be able to say this without the spastic younger man trying to figure out everything before hand.

"Derek, what did you need?" the elder Stilinski asked as he sat back and smiled at his son's boyfriend.

"I know that we have plans for tomorrow, lunch and everything at the house."

The sheriff nodded, frowning a little, "Derek what's this about?"

"I wanted to give you this a little early, I didn't want Stiles to know about it until it was too late. If that makes sense," Derek said as he handed the long and thin box across the table. The Sheriff picked it up and opened it to find a piece of paper folded up. Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a minute as the sheriff opened the slip of paper and looked up in shock at Derek.

"You can't do this," the man whispered hoarsely.

Derek smiled a little, "It's already done and I won't take no for an answer because of what you've done for me."

The sheriff shook his head, the glistening of tears on his lashes trying to gain freedom and fall. "What did I do to deserve such a thing?"

"You taught me that I could be loved and care for by another father, that I could trust it with you. Not even because of Stiles but because I was me."

Stilinski took a deep breath, his heartbeat rising rapidly as he dropped the piece of paper and rounded the desk to grab the werewolf and pull him into a warm embrace. Derek stiffened for a moment in old fear before he gripped the sheriff's shirt and pressed his nose into the side of the man's shoulder, his scent so similar to Stiles that it was comforting but it was more than that now.

Noah was a father to Derek in a way that he thought his father would be happy about. He looked over to see the piece of paper, declaring that the mortgage that the sheriff had on the house ever since Stiles had been hospitalized because of the nogitsune was paid off. It had been something that Stiles had felt stupidly guilty over and Stilinski had carried around so much anxiety about losing the house that Stiles grew up in and Derek had the money and all it was doing was working and replicating. He wanted to do this and Father's Day seemed a good a day as any.

He felt as Noah pressed a hand into the back of Derek's neck and just like when his son did it, Derek didn't feel vulnerable he felt cared for. The Sheriff had done so much for him in the past couple of years, to the point of even giving Derek updates on the others while he was gone.

He'd been the one to ask Derek to come home for a visit, and for some reason Derek hadn't been able to say no and here they were now.

"Thank you son," the sheriff whispered.

"I love you," Derek husked out before he could drag the words back only to sob out the pain that came with this day like so many others during the year. Noah didn't pull away, he didn't say anything; he only tightened his hold and whispered in his ear.

"Love you too son, that doesn't mean you don't love your dad anymore. You're a good man Derek, you always have been. That's never going to change for me or for him, okay? I know he's proud of you because I'm proud of you."

Derek whimpered a little, never knowing that he wanted, no he _needed_ someone to tell him that until this moment. "Thank you."

"You're more than just my son's partner Derek, that was just us Stilinski's deciding to keep you."

Derek chuckled wetly as he pulled away and looked down at the piece of paper again and thought about the next day when they were going to be all together, Stiles would inevitably find out about what Derek did seen as how he frequently helped his dad pay the bills and he was going to have feelings, big loud feelings about it but this moment right now was something Derek had been hoping for when he decided to pay off the mortgage.

"I'll see you tomorrow for lunch then," Derek said and coughed, trying to get a hold of himself as Noah moved away and sat back down behind his desk again. He grabbed the paper again and smiled while he shook his head in amazement.

"You just changed the game for me kid and I don't have anything that could ever pay you back for that."

Derek took a step towards the door, "It's a gift, no need to pay me back except maybe there is one thing if you think its possible."

The sheriff waved, "Just say it Derek."

"Do you think if I did the work, went through the testing and the academy that you could use some help here on the force?"

Stilinski's eyebrows rose in surprise, "I didn't know you were interested in law enforcement."

Derek took a step back, immediately backing down from this weird dream and desire that had been cropping up in his mind for the past couple of weeks but this wasn't a good idea. "Never mind, it's not a good idea with me being questioned anyway."

Noah stood and pressed a hand on Derek's arm as he started to retreat, "No, just wait a second. I didn't say that you couldn't or you shouldn't do it. I am just curious about the interest."

The werewolf shrugged, "I don't like spending the money in my bank account and though I am using it for the house being rebuilt; that's for Stiles and the pack. I want them to have a home, a safe place that they can always be but I want to put down some more roots and my father taught me about hard work. I don't want to do nothing anymore, I want to be something."

"And the law enforcement part?" Noah asked as he crossed his arms and waited patiently for the answer.

"I want to do something good with my life and I only know two people in this town that I trust to be good men no matter what and that's your son and you, both of which are only interested in law enforcement. I want to do something meaningful and this is what I keep coming back to."

Noah nodded, "Then do the work Mr. Hale and we'll see."

Derek smiled and walked out with a wave to the man, knowing that he would see him soon enough. He head out to the Camaro and drove back to the loft, knowing that Stiles would be there sooner or later and they would go out to dinner or something before coming back here and fooling around before falling into bed.

He couldn't wait.

"You did what? Derek!" Stiles exclaimed as soon as they sat down to lunch with his dad and his boyfriend. The Sheriff apparently decided that they should get the big one out of the way, Derek thought with a wince.

"I wanted to do it, I know how much you both worry. I just wanted to do something good with it, the money."

"And did you spend it all, between the Hale house and my dad's house?" Stiles asked, crossing his arms as he stared down at his father and Derek in judgmental glare.

Derek shook his head, "Not all of it, between what was left from Peter and myself, there is still enough to help out in the future but Stiles you know better than anyone else that I don't like spending that money on me. I like the idea that my family has a legacy of helping other people instead of the death and destruction, secrets and fear."

Stiles slumped and moved to sit back down next to his boyfriend and Derek accepted the loving touch when Stiles brought one of his hands to the werewolf's cheek. "You are too much sometimes Sourwolf."

Derek shrugged and accepted the kiss Stiles pressed to his cheek and they continued lunch. Stiles bouncing around from topic to topic and trying to keep his dad from eating the curly fries that Derek bought for them to share but Derek just distracted his boyfriend long enough for the man to munch on some in peace.

"Well Dad, I had this amazing lunch planned for you for the day, making you take some time off but nothing compares to what Derek gave to you."

"You know what you could give me," the sheriff said as he munched on his lunch but Stiles was smiling and Derek knew what was coming.

He slapped down a thick envelope on the table and the sheriff chuckled, "What is it with envelopes this weekend?"

Stiles shrugged, "Sometimes good things come in the mail and envelopes."

Derek watched as the man tugged the acceptance letter out of the envelope and started reading the first lines before he stared at his son in awe, "You're going to Berkley."

Stiles started at him smugly, "I got it Dad, I know it took a little longer because of the forgetting and missing a good chunk of senior year but I did it."

The sheriff leaned over and clapped his son on the shoulder happily, "So proud of you son. I knew you could do it. Nothing was going to stop you."

Stiles flushed a little under the focused pride of his father and Derek was going to spend some time in the privacy of the loft showing him how much he was proud of the teenager and what he'd done in the months since his friends graduated. They let Stiles walk with his friends but it had taken some time for him to make up the rest.

"Your mom would be so proud of you kiddo, smiling on you right now."

Stiles nodded, "Thanks Dad. I hoped it would get here in time to show you today because I wouldn't have made it here without your help and without Lydia and Scott fighting to bring me back even if they didn't know me. Thanks for remembering me."

The sheriff nodded with a smile.

"Happy Father's Day, I hope we never forget to celebrate you and Derek's dad."

Derek shifted to stare at these two men; he hadn't been blowing smoke earlier when he said that two of the best men that he knew were the Stilinski father and son. Everything he had learned about courage, he'd learned from Stiles. He'd even heard all about what it was like in that other place and knowing he was going to be forgotten and not wanting it to happen but knowing there was no stopping it.

And in the face of everything that happened, Sheriff Stilinski had always tried to live by a moral code that didn't seem to be at all normal in a world of werewolves and hunters. He had always been a good man, trying to be the best sheriff he could be, even if it meant working extra hard to make sure that his son would always have the home where his mother had been alive and where they had been together.

Derek knew that the Sheriff had given up his wife a second time for the sake of remembering his son when the Wild Hunt was happening. He knew how much that must've hurt but for to bring Stiles back he'd been willing to give everything up and Derek was so grateful that he was able to do such a thing. If he'd been face to face with someone from his past, made to believe that he'd never lost them he didn't know if he would be strong enough to do the same.

But Noah Stilinski was, and that courage clearly ran strong in the family.

"I'm happy to be here with you both, so proud to be here to be a part of this family. Happy Father's Day Noah."

The sheriff leaned forward and pressed a hand into each of their tight fists. Derek reached out and completed the chain, grabbing Stiles's other hand and they just sat for a moment, feeling the love and pack bond flared between them.

One more holiday that had been forever changed by this new family, Derek thinks that maybe he deserves a little love on these days. And Noah Stilinski deserved all the love they had to give as well as respect.

He was ready to give it, whether it was at family lunches or maybe some day in the Sheriff's station between Sheriff and deputy.

That was a surprise for another day though.


End file.
